The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (10 page)

“Yes,” Andram
replied in a low voice.

“How long
before this radiation front reaches Gaia?” asked Commander Malen. Her face had
turned ashen at the revelation of what they’d done.

“Three to five
hundred years, depending on its speed,” Shilum answered. “We’ll need to do more
studies to determine an exact date.”

“Is there any way
to stop it or reverse the radiation front?” asked Jeremy. He knew what he was
asking was probably impossible.

Andram slowly
shook his head. “It’s just too massive. I want to spend additional time
studying this region of space. There is much for us to learn here.”

Jeremy let out
a deep breath. “We’ll stay as long as necessary.” He could feel his heart pounding
at the revelation that their attack upon the Dyson Sphere might have doomed
billions or even trillions of life forms in the Triangulum Galaxy.

-

After the meeting,
only Jeremy and Ariel were still in the briefing room. Ariel was watching
Jeremy and could see the anguish on his face. “I have a thought,” she said
after several moments.

“What?” Jeremy
asked in a voice that was barely a whisper.

“The Originators
surrounded the Dyson Sphere with the dark matter. They must have been aware of
what might happen if the star exploded.”

Jeremy looked
over at Ariel and slowly nodded his head. “How does that help us? As far as we
know, there are no Originators left.”

“No,” Ariel answered.
“But we do have the
Dominator
and Kazak.”

There was a
long silence as Jeremy thought over what Ariel had said. Since their meeting
several weeks back, the Originator AI had been allowing teams of scientists to
go abroad the
Dominator
. Every week, Kazak had been allowing a little
more access to the ship’s systems. “You’re right,” he said. “As soon as the
Altons are finished with their observations we need to return to Gaia. Kazak
and I need to have a long conversation. If there is a solution to this problem,
it’s on board that ship.”

Ariel nodded.
She didn’t know if Kazak could help or not, but at least Jeremy now had a
reason to hope.

-

Simulin High
Commander Callat had just finished briefing the new Simulin Grand Council of
the current status of the fleet. Since becoming cut off from the rest of the
Simulin Intergalactic Empire, the twenty-seven most heavily populated worlds
had decided to form an interim government. Each of the star systems had chosen
one representative to be on the council and Malkor had been made the capital.
The sixty colony words were allowed six representatives.

This first meeting
had been tumultuous, with several of the representatives not comprehending why
communication with the rest of the empire couldn’t be achieved. In frustration,
Callat had ordered them taken outside and executed. There was no room for weak-minded
fools in the empire. Of more importance was the fact, as the only surviving
Supreme High Commander, the new Grand Council would answer to him. Already he
had issued orders for more battlecruisers to be constructed and the defenses
around the inhabited Simulin planets to be strengthened dramatically.

“The council
doesn’t understand the threat posed by the Fitula Nebula organics and their
AIs,” said High Commander Faberh. “It might be necessary for more executions in
the future.”

“The members
of the council are not used to our fleets being defeated in battle. Many of
them have lived sheltered lives, unlike those of us in the military. Since
discovering the Great Sphere, our people have steadily moved across the
galaxies, conquering more worlds and colonizing thousands of planets. Whenever
we came across a powerful enemy, we could call upon the other Simulin
controlled galaxies to send in additional warships to allow us to annihilate
any and all opposition. That is now no longer true.”

“Just how
dangerous do you think these Fitula organics are?”

“They
destroyed the Great Sphere,” Callat answered in a cold voice. “We must find a
way to penetrate the nebula they’re hiding in or soon they will come out
hunting.”

“Hunting?” said
High Commander Faberh, sounding confused. “For who?”

“Us,” Callat
answered in a grave voice. “They will come for us and when they do we will
destroy them or they will destroy us.”

-

Jeremy was in
his quarters with Kelsey. One thing about having his wife on board, at least
they could sleep together.

“I wish Angela
could have come,” Jeremy said as he sat next to Kelsey on the comfortable couch
in their quarters.

A strange
looked crossed Kelsey’s face but she remained silent.

“What is it?”
asked Jeremy sharply. “I’ve seen that look before, and it always means you’re
keeping something from me.”

Kelsey let out
a deep sigh. “Angela’s pregnant.”

“What?” Jeremy
said, sitting up straight. “How did she keep something like that a secret?” It
explained why she had bailed out of this mission with the illness explanation.

“She was
afraid it would keep her from her duties. She’s been working on the Clan
Protector with Malith on the shipyard’s communication protocols.” Malith was
the Bear communication’s officer and a close friend of Kelsey’s.

“This is
exciting,” a voice said from thin air. Ariel suddenly appeared with an excited
look on her face. “I knew Angela hasn’t been feeling well recently, but her
medical records are locked to the point even I can’t get into them.”

Kelsey let out
an exasperated sigh. “You don’t need to know everything about us all the time.
Sometimes we need our privacy.”

A solemn look
appeared on Ariel’s face. “I promised Jeremy’s father I would always look after
the five of you.”

“And you
have,” said Kelsey, standing up and going over and getting herself a glass of
tea from the small refrigerator in their quarters. “Even so, at times we need a
little space.”

Ariel looked
over at Jeremy with a sad look. “It’s just since we lost the
Distant Horizon
and Clarissa, I’ve been so worried. I can’t lose anyone else.”

“You won’t,” Jeremy
promised. “When we get back to Gaia, we’ll see what progress has been made with
Kazak and the
Dominator
.”

“The
Dominator
is much more powerful than you can imagine,” Ariel said with a mystifying
smile. “It was the greatest warship ever built by the Originators, and it by
itself could defeat the Simulins in this galaxy.”

Jeremy felt
confused. “How do you know all of this?”

“Kazak has
dropped some hints and I’ve seen a few of the ship’s records. Much of the rest
I’ve been able to piece together from sensor scans I’ve taken of the
Dominator
and from the questions I’ve been able to get Kazak to answer.”

Jeremy looked
intently at Ariel. Even after all of these years, her holographic image still
resembled that of a young woman in her early twenties. Shoulder length black
hair and dark eyes added to her mystique.

“Ariel, do you
think the
Dominator
can stop what’s happening here with the supernovas?”

Ariel clasped
her hands behind her back and gazed at Jeremy. “Yes,” she answered. “I just
don’t know if Kazak will agree.”

Jeremy felt
Kelsey’s hand grasp his and squeeze. “How do we convince him?”

“Ariel, if we
don’t get Kazak to help, this entire galaxy could be in danger,” spoke Kelsey,
her eyes focused on the AI. “We know there are other civilizations out toward
the rim the Simulins haven’t destroyed yet. We must find a way to save them!”

“Kazak is old
and tired for an AI,” replied Ariel. “He’s existed for several million years
though most of that time his systems were shut down and in stasis. We must find
something Kazak wants, something he would be willing to risk everything for.”

Jeremy was
silent as he thought about Ariel’s words. Then he felt a cold chill run through
him. “When I was speaking to Kazak, I had the distinct impression he wasn’t
quite telling us the truth. I believe the Originator AI is hiding something
from us, something vitally important.”

Kelsey looked
at Ariel. She could see the AI had a strange look on her face. A look she occasionally
got when she realized she had missed or overlooked some critical data.

“I need to run
some simulations,” Ariel said in a soft voice. “I have recordings of all of
Clarissa’s conversations with Kazak as well as my own. If the Originator AI is
hiding something, I’ll find out what it is.” With that, Ariel vanished.

“You surprised
her,” Kelsey said grinning. “I wonder if I should warn Katie?”

“No,” answered
Jeremy, putting his arm around Kelsey and pulling her closer. “We’re going to
spend a few days here in the nebula while Andram and the
Star Seeker
take readings of the radiation front. When we do return to Gaia, perhaps by
then Ariel will have an idea of what Kazak is keeping hidden.”

-

Later, as they
lay in bed, Jeremy couldn’t help worrying. Admiral Jackson was well on his way
to Ornellia and would soon be arriving. There were still thousands of Simulin
ships in the Triangulum Galaxy. Back at Gaia, the AI shipyards were rapidly
turning out AI warspheres. Jeremy was preparing to take the war to the Simulins
and show them they were no longer the dominant power in this galaxy.

“Go to sleep,”
suggested Kelsey softly, putting her hand on Jeremy’s chest. “Remember, Ariel
is watching over us.”

Jeremy allowed
himself to smile as he closed his eyes. He knew Kelsey was right. If anyone
could figure out what secret Kazak was hiding, it was Ariel.

Reesa was
standing alone near the Originator city. Its tall towers seemed to gleam in the
afternoon sunlight. They had already determined there must be some type of light
restricting panels near the Dyson Sphere’s sun as they received eight hours of darkness
each night. For the past two weeks, they had failed to discover anything of
significance about the city. The small robots took care of the city and there
was nothing living moving about on its streets.

Their food
supplies were quickly dwindling and they were becoming more dependent each day
on the fruits, berries, and edible plants they could find. Kelnor had reluctantly
given the approval to allow the Marines to fish in the small stream that
meandered through the valley. Reesa had to admit, having the extra protein had
been a morale booster. Even though she was an Alton, she wasn’t that big on
being a vegetarian.

“Are you sure
you want to do this?” a voice asked behind Reesa.

Turning, she
saw Melvin Blair walking up. She had confided in Melvin what she was planning.
She needed someone to help her and he seemed to share her impatience at being
trapped in the valley.

Reesa nodded
her head. “I don’t see where we have any other choice. “We can’t remain in the
valley forever, and it’s been over five weeks. If there is a controlling
intelligence in the Dyson Sphere, it must have noticed our presence by now.”

“And you think
it’s waiting for us to make the next move?”

“It has to be.
How much longer do you think we can survive in this valley? I talked to Maalon
Delz yesterday and he estimates there is enough food here for another four
weeks, and then we’ll have to start severe rationing.”

Melvin’s face
creased in a deep frown. “There are deer-like animals in the valley; over a
dozen of them. If Kelnor would allow us to kill a few, our food supply could be
significantly extended.”

“No,” Reesa
said, shaking her head vigorously. “Kelnor may be right about the guiding
intelligence in the Dyson Sphere becoming angry if we were to slay some of the
larger animals. Our best chance is attempting to communicate.”

Melvin was
quiet for a long moment. “You’re right. I believe as you do that we need to at
least attempt to establish communications. Admiral Tolsen and the others in the
fleet must believe we’re dead by now, and since you have the only key we can’t
expect a rescue party.”

Reesa pointed
to a small dish antennae aimed toward the city on a small hill nearby. There
was also other equipment being used to monitor the city. “I intend to attach a
communications device to the antenna and broadcast a wide beam message into the
city.”

“What will
happen when Kelnor finds out?” asked Melvin with some concern in his voice.

“He won’t be
happy,” admitted Reesa, dropping her shoulders slightly. “But this might be our
one chance to gain entry to the city.”

“Let’s do it,”
said Melvin, drawing in a sharp breath. “I’ll help you hook up the
communications device.”

Brenda nodded,
satisfied. In the message were videos of her holding the key. She hoped if the
guiding intelligence of the Dyson Sphere saw she was in possession of one, it
might make contact. If it didn’t, then Reesa was afraid they were all doomed to
die in the valley.

-

Sergeant
Brenda Wilde was just returning from where they had entered the interior of the
Dyson Sphere. The day after they reached the valley they had returned to the wall
only to find the slot for the key was no longer present. They searched for
hours, but they could find no slot anywhere to insert the key. Every day Brenda
made the short trek to the spot they had entered, hoping to find the key slot
had reappeared. Each day she returned disappointed and more concerned.

“Fish,
Sergeant?” asked Corporal Metz, handing her a plate with several steaming portions
of meat on it. There was also one of the small yellow fruits they had found to
be edible.

“Thanks,”
Brenda said as she sat down near the campfire. “Where are Reesa and Melvin?”

“Studying the Originator
city,” Metz answered as he slowly ate his own fish. The corporal looked intently
at the sergeant and then asked a question he knew most of the other Marines wanted
to know. “When do we get to kill one of those deer-like animals? There must be several
hundred pounds of meat on one of them. We could smoke most of it or even make
some jerky. The fish in the stream aren’t going to last much longer.”

Brenda sighed
as she listened to the corporal. If it came down to her Marines starving or
shooting one or two of the animals, then the animals were going to die and they
would just have to take a risk on the consequences. “I’m considering it,” she
said in between bites. “We’re not there yet, but when the time comes I’ll take
the responsibly and tell Kelnor we have no other option.”

Metz nodded. That was what he wanted to hear. He would pass the word on to the other
Marines as it would help with morale. “Do you want to continue the patrols?
There’s nothing dangerous in this valley, and we’ve been over every inch of
it.”

Brenda took a
deep drink of water and nodded her head. “Yes, it gives us something to do, and
if anything does change I want to know about it immediately.” Brenda didn’t
need to add that the patrols helped to maintain discipline. She couldn’t afford
for her platoon of Marines to disintegrate into a rabble. She would maintain
the chain of command and keep her people busy. If they ever did find their way
out of the valley, her Marines needed to be ready.

“Sergeant
Wilde, still no key slot I assume?” asked Kelnor with an inquisitive look on
his face as he walked up to her.

“No,” replied Brenda,
shaking her head. “We’re trapped here and I don’t know see any way out.”

“Don’t give up
hope; I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before whatever the guiding
intelligence is in the Dyson Sphere contacts us.”

“Fish?” asked Corporal
Metz, handing Kelnor a plate.

“No thanks,”
the Alton replied. “I had several of the small fruits earlier.”

Metz nodded and put the fish back in the pan to stay warm.

“Have you
learned anything new?” asked Brenda. She knew Kelnor and the other scientists
spent hours each day going over the data they collected.

Kelnor’s eyes
brightened. “This is all so fascinating. We’ve determined several of the
patterns of the small robots in the city, and we’ve even picked up what we
believe is the communications frequency they’re using.”

“Can we talk
to them?” asked Brenda cocking her eyebrow.

“No,” Kelnor
said, shaking his head. “Their communications are more of a series of simple
commands. The signals also seem to repeat themselves every thirty-six hours.”

“Like clean
here, water this plant, wash this sidewalk, go jump off a cliff,” suggested
Corporal Metz.

Kelnor frowned
at the corporal but slowly nodded his head. “Not including your last one, that
is pretty much what the little robots are being told.”

“So that doesn’t
really help us,” commented Brenda, feeling disillusioned. She didn’t want to
spend the rest of her life cooped up in this small valley. If they could just
find some way to escape, it would solve many of their problems. They didn’t
need access to the city, just more of the countryside so they could scrounge
for more food sources.

“Ah, but it
does,” answered Kelnor smiling. “It tells us there is a guiding intelligence in
charge of the Dyson Sphere. Something is monitoring the city and instructing
the little robots in their daily activities. While most of the commands are
very routine and repeating, on occasion we have heard new sets of commands dealing
with repair work that needed to be done.”

Brenda heard a
noise and looking over toward the trail that led to the city; she saw Reesa and
Melvin returning. She knew Reesa was growing more impatient every day and was
pressing Kelnor to allow her to attempt to contact the Dyson Sphere’s guiding
intelligence. Brenda was beginning to believe Reesa was correct. Something
needed to be done soon to change the status quo.

-

Aboard the
WarHawk
,
Admiral Race Tolsen had just returned to the Command Center after eating a
light meal with his sister, Massie. She had come on board to discuss the
current fighter patrols her squadrons were flying. She had expressed some
concern for her pilots as they were going out past the defensive and offensive
range of the Indomitable Class battlestations. Race had agreed to pull the
patrols in slightly.

“Everything is
normal,” Commander Arnett said as the admiral stepped into the Command Center.

“Take a break,
Madelyn,” Race said as he sat down in the command chair.

For the past
two weeks, the Shari had stayed in the outer system except for one large fleet
they were keeping two hundred million kilometers away from the Dyson Sphere.
Race suspected this was a quick response force in case the Shari felt the Dyson
Sphere had been penetrated.

Race watched
as Madelyn left the Command Center and headed to her quarters for some rest.
Focusing his attention on the large viewscreen, he saw it was focused on the
exploration cutter parked by the large structure the exploratory team had vanished
into over five weeks back. Race had decided Alshan Kalar was correct, and the
team was either dead or hopelessly lost inside. It was a blow to the
exploration effort as Reesa and Kelnor were their foremost experts on the
Originators.

Looking over
toward Colonel Cowel, he noticed Major Nolan was speaking to him. “Major
Nolan,” Race said. “Assuming everyone on our exploratory team is still alive,
how soon before they run out of rations?”

Nolan sighed
and slowly shook his head. “About now. Of more concern would be water. From
what we know was available to them they would have run out several weeks ago.”

“So they could
all be dead,” Race said.

Nolan hesitated
and then nodded his head. “The Human body can survive about three weeks without
food if you hold exertion to a minimum. Water is a different matter. Three to
five days without water and your body will begin to shut down.”

Race looked
over at Colonel Cowel. “What about our other research teams? Have they found
any other possible entrances to the Dyson Sphere?”

“No,” Cowel
answered. “However, we have discovered several large shallow bowl-shaped areas
on the surface of the sphere. Alshan believes they may be massive airlocks.”

“Let’s
concentrate our attention on the buildings around those areas,” Race ordered.
“If those are airlocks, there has to be a way to activate them from the outside
of the sphere.”

“Admiral,
perhaps it would be best if we focused our efforts around just one of the
possible airlocks,” suggested Major Nolan. “There’s one beneath our defensive
grid, we could send additional exploration cutters down to it from our other
dreadnoughts.”

“Contact
Alshan Kalar and have him make arrangements for Alton science teams to
accompany the cutters,” Race ordered. “We need to find a way into the Dyson
Sphere, and we need to do it soon rather than later.”

“What about
the Shari?” asked Colonel Cowel. “We don’t know what they’re doing on the other
side of the Dyson Sphere. They have to be searching for a way in just as we
are.”

Race nodded
his head in agreement. “I’ve been thinking about that; we need to find out what
they’re up to.”

“How do we do
that?”

Race looked
over at Cowel. “We have to go look. Due to the curve of the Dyson Sphere, we
can’t scan the far side. The only solution is to take a fleet over to the other
side and scan the surface.”

“The Shari are bound to respond to that,” warned Cowel with a frown. “Look what we did to the
fleet they sent to scan our part of the Dyson Sphere.”

“It’s a risk
we’ll have to take. Let’s get the additional exploration cutters launched and
then we’ll take a short trip to the other side to see just what the Shari are doing.”

-

High Lord
Aktill nodded in satisfaction at the latest report from the Shari scientists
working on the far side of the Dyson Sphere. Every attempt made to access the
structure had thus far failed. However, the lead scientist was confident that by
using carefully shaped charges in the one to two megaton range, they could
blast their way in. Already the first series of charges had been set and were
ready to detonate. All Aktill had to do was give the order. However, he had
been hesitant as the Humans hadn’t deployed explosives, which made him wonder
if they knew something he didn’t.

“High Lord Ansell
will be arriving tomorrow with his fleet as well as additional supply ships,”
commented Lower Lord Samarth.

Aktill nodded.
“He is bringing an additional four hundred warships as well as more research
scientists.”

“That will
give us an impressive fleet,” Samarth said. “Are we going to attack the
Humans?”

“Not yet,”
Aktill replied. “The Humans obviously have not found a way into the sphere and their
supplies are limited. We have sufficient fleets deployed between the Rylus
Cluster and Human controlled space to ensure any inbound supply ships will be
detected and destroyed.”

“So we wait for
them to run out of supplies?” asked Samarth.

“For now,” answered
Aktill. “As long as they stay in the same location over the Dyson Sphere we
will not interfere.”

“What about
those other ships we detected a few weeks back?” asked Samarth.

“They’re
called Simulins,” Aktill replied. “When their ambassador was negotiating with
the representative from the Grand Council of High Lords he told us about those ships.
They’re from another galaxy and seek to conquer ours. The Humans and their
allies have already fought a few battles against them.”